Steps have been taken to end practice on federal level. But to really solve the problem, states must follow.

At age 15, Eddie Ellis was sent to a juvenile detention center and held in solitary confinement. According to Ellis, “The average day was a miserable day. I tried to work out. I tried to exercise. I always felt sad. I just wanted to lie down and be to myself. ... It was one of the breaking points for me as a young person.”

Two laws passed by Congress last year — the First Step Act and the reauthorized Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act — will help ensure that no other young people go through the agony Ellis experienced. But the strict prohibition on solitary only applies to youth in federal custody. To fully solve the problem, states must follow suit and pass laws to end solitary confinement of youth.

Ellis, now 43, is the coordinator of the Incarcerated Children’s Advocacy Network at the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. He has spent years as a mentor and motivational speaker talking with youth and adults about how their choices affect others and how to rebuild and repair relationships.

The judge ultimately dismissed the charge of armed robbery against Ellis, but his detention had a devastating impact. When he left the juvenile facility, Ellis said, “the depression became tenfold. I really didn’t have any energy to think about doing right. I just didn’t care. … I wanted to rail against the system.”

It took a long time for Ellis to get his life back on track. He eventually returned to prison on a manslaughter charge. He experienced years of anger, depression and anxiety.

Ellis is not alone.

Research shows that solitary confinement can cause rage and frustration, leading youth who experience it to act out. And thousands of juveniles are subjected to solitary confinement every year. Almost half of all secure juvenile facilities in America use isolation to control behavior.

A child in solitary confinement spends hours, days, weeks or even months isolated in a cell. A typical solitary cell is smaller than a parking space and contains nothing but a bed, a sink and a toilet. Children in solitary don’t attend school; they often don’t receive counseling, family contact or treatment.

Not surprisingly, these conditions are profoundly destructive, leading a significant number of young people to cut themselves, engage in other forms of self-harm, or take their own lives.

In addition to depression and anxiety, solitary can also cause sleeplessness and long lasting trauma. Isolation is harmful for anyone, but particularly for adolescents whose ongoing development depends on social interaction. And it doesn’t work. In fact, decreased reliance on solitary is linked to increased facility safety.

Youth have been placed in solitary for actions as insignificant as talking back, moving too fast, or taking candy off a shelf. Others have spent months in solitary because they are at risk of self-harm, even though solitary exacerbates mental health problems and suicidality. Many youth held in adult jails are placed in solitary to keep them separate from adult inmates for their own safety.

In keeping with the recommendations of justice, mental health and medical experts, the First Step act prohibits federal facilities from using solitary as punishment and permits solitary only when youth behavior poses a risk of immediate physical harm that cannot otherwise be de-escalated. Youth must be released as soon as they are calm and always within three hours.

The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act incentivizes states to implement similar reforms. The act requires states to collect and report data to the federal government on restraints and isolation, shedding light on what is too often a hidden problem. It also requires states to describe their strategies to reduce isolation, and provides federal training to support these goals.

Critically, the juvenile justice act prohibits states from holding youth in adult jails, except in narrow circumstances. This will make a huge dent in the use of solitary confinement.

Some jails hold 100 percent of youth in solitary to protect them from adult inmates, according to Human Rights Watch and the American Civil Liberties Union.

The time is right to stop solitary for kids.

Ellis was able to get beyond his childhood experiences. He has been out of prison for 12 years and is now married with children.

But he cautions that isolating youth risks permanent damage: “You may be really destroying these kids emotionally and mentally before they have a chance to mature as people. Some of these kids may not be able to recover.”

Rather than isolating young people, we should create opportunities for them to learn positive skills and maintain the critical relationships that they need to grow and thrive.

The new federal laws, with broad bipartisan support, are models for state lawmakers. Some states have already acted to end solitary for juveniles. The rest must follow.